


Water's Safe Haven

by Sai Cannopy Cé (Sai_Cannopy)



Series: Unreleased [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Finally glad that I didnt have to add water magic myself thanks KH 3, HC to my AU to my Angst, I'm still shook by this, KH should embrace its fantastical magical side cmon, Mend works as both mending the body and clothes fuck normality, Non-Canon to AU, Unreleased Chapter, Wow an old chapter that I still love hot damn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-11-07 05:38:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17954600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sai_Cannopy/pseuds/Sai%20Cannopy%20C%C3%A9
Summary: Riku walks among the fields of darkness, searching for a way out while struggling to keep his head afloat in the Realm of Darkness. He feels shamed to ever think that he could be redeemed, that he could never bring himself past Xehanort's shadow.Perhaps a new face could help.--A previously-unreleased chapter for an AU that is in the reworks.





	Water's Safe Haven

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Uh, long time no see. I lied. But not really. But uh. Yeah. Uh. *sweat* College is kick and Kingdom Hearts can eat my ass I hate this. But! (I still suck at summaries!)
> 
> This is an unreleased chapter that was originally going to be put in the original version of The World Speaks to You, but I decided against it as I wasn't quite happy with what I had. Not to mention that the AU had yet to reach there so. Some of this content might make it to the final version of Riku's POV (which has drastically changed from the original versus the new version), but I've yet to make a decision there. Kairi also had hers, but I'd rather see from you all if it's worth it.
> 
> Anyways, here's my chapter for the month, I should hopefully have the Prologue to TWStY soon (like. within today or tomorrow. The fifth edition ft. 6th edits is coming soon), and perhaps, with how KH X is going, I might get to the Ventus chapter of Terrorfying (this au name is literally gonna keep changing because PUNS) by the summer!
> 
> brief summary of what was in TWStY: Sora can hear the worlds, Riku the darkness, and Kairi mainly Radiant Garden. Destiny Island is lost early on, Riku becomes Xehanort's other apprentice to continue his plan, Kairi becomes a better protagonist than just being symbolic value in KH, and Sora is just Help. Here Ansem took Riku as his vessel back when he was "born" and, six years later, threw Riku into the RoD while claiming his body as his own. Why six instead of just at KH1? Because I wanted Aqua & Riku and 0.2 DIDN'T GIVE THAT TO ME.

Riku wakes up and he sees darkness.

 

There’s no inch of the place that is that colorful beauty of Radiant Garden. There is no Cid, no Isa, no Lea, no friends or family to recognize in these blank purples and blacks and such. Hell, he can barely see any signs of life.

 

But he looks around himself, tries looking to see if he’ll find them, if he can maybe beg for their security. If that bastard _Ansem_ -

 

Wait.

 

Radiant Garden is no more.

 

There is no family to return to.

 

They’re _all gone_.

 

 _No_ , the lonesome boy tells himself as he sobs right where he woke up. _No, they’re totally alive. They must be. They were survivors, orphans, family. If he was alive —_

 

He stops himself from thinking anymore, because then it’ll remind him of his grievous faults. It’ll bring more tears, more waste to himself than anything. Because he has a sinking feeling (ha, isn’t that reminiscent) of where he’s at.

 

The scorned and terrifying Realm of Darkness.

 

—

 

Riku is absolutely fucking terrified.

 

He had decided within five minutes - or ten or sixteen or - that he better get moving. He isn’t sure where he is, where a path starts, where he should go. There’s no map (obviously), and there’s not a single soul here.

 

Well, except for those things he saw as a kid.

 

Lights and darknesses everywhere, he had thought this nightmare was over. He had thought that those _things_ wouldn’t pop up in his life, that it would just be the Unversed who would live in his life (poor Vanitas, he - no, no pity for him). But it’s fucking _Xehanort_ , of _course_ the fucker would see that his life gets fucked up in some way or form.

 

Often he wants to fucking murder him.

 

The moment he sees those bright yellow eyes and somewhat-humanoid bodies, he freezes. The 4-year-old of the past is crying out again, screaming in pure fear as that person just transform into one of these creatures. He hears Vanitas’s various screeches, crying for Xehanort to stop. He hears Sora frantically trying to reach out for him, wobbling yet steady.

 

And then a giant hand is extended to him.

 

Riku has never been more happy that these things weren’t human.

 

—

 

 _Holy shit holy shit holy shit holy shiiiiiT TOO CLOSE!_ Riku keeps thinking as the beings just curl in on him.

 

After his deathly shriek, the darkness just… started curling on him. They practically stuck to him like glue, acting cat and dog-like (could it kill them to give him some space?). There was a number of noises that he could guess were purring and whatever a dog could make that could comfort him, but that didn’t comfort him.

 

Especially not with the fucking giant practically looming over him like a goddamn mother.

 

“Can you please _move?_ ” He whimpers as he successfully pushes the tiny darkling on his lap.

 

He kindly holds back his whimpers of pain as he feels the thing just sink into his body and reappear on his lap.

 

—

 

After what felt like an hour of this stupid nonsense, Riku finally gets up and starts moving forward. The dark beings still follow and hang on him.

 

Sometimes they would nuzzle his face, which always startles him since it was random and very forceful. Usually they hanged on his body, making walking hard and running impossible. A few times the gigantic dark being would take him into its hand and lead him… somewhere.

 

He starts struggling the moment the being gets closer after he realizes it’s taking him backwards. It doesn’t come any closer after that.

 

—

 

These things are all different, Riku notes as he rests once more (he’s long past wondering why he’s not hungry or thirsty).

 

There’s the tiny and big variations of the same circular dark being that is numerous and cute. If claws digging into his back and healed him meant ingraining themselves onto his body equated to making him scream in pain. They are the slowest when walking, but make up in their shadow-melting movement.

 

What he’s sure are their siblings are the more humanoid-looking ones. They’re speedy and just spell bad news if he meets the end of their claws. He’s quite happy they haven’t cut off a limb during their fights. Only one has latched itself onto himself, but it kindly left sometime later.

 

There’re the gigantic assholes with humongous bodies and either blue-green or purple bodies, but he kindly stays the furthest from them. He’s grateful they don’t latch onto him; otherwise he’s sure to become a part of them.

 

There’s a variety of others - ones with swords that can turn invisible, the circular beings that remind him of those enemies from the video games he once upon a time played, a goddamn dog that exerted fear and killed his group in favor of licking his face - that he just notes in the back in his head. He’ll document them later.

 

—

 

Something else he needs to document: their reactions to the Keyblade of his.

 

Riku has been dreading the idea of even _touching_ the blade, reminding him of how Ansem took it upon himself to, oh, _slaughter everyone in the vicinity._ Not to mention his role Xeha-fucker gave him, which he’s sure is obsolete now with Ansem doing… whatever with his body.

 

But he needs to get moving, and a damn possessor thing has _fucking nabbed_ his _shoe_ how the _fuck._

 

Taking the Keyblade out had seemed like a good idea. It was dealing with the problem with violence, sure, but it would get the job done. Right?

 

Yeah how absolutely fucking **wrong** he was.

 

Because that brought the attention of every damn thing near him, which proceeded to attack him. They swarmed over him and clawed and scratched and _holy fuck he dodged that fist_. Those on his body finally got off of him, which led to more agony.

 

By the time he finally decides to put the thing away, his clothing is ripped and his shoe is lost to the darkness. His body is heavy with pain and fatigue. The things are now at a respectable distance, watching him warily.

 

And he’s got quite the number of scratches and hand marks near his heart, which is quite terrifying.

 

—

 

The whispering comes back, and he nearly crumbles from the number of voices that squish and squash and take over his ears. He feels something crawl into them, amplifying the sound. Things scratch at him, or - or -

 

He blacks out.

 

—

 

He doesn’t know how long it’s been, but he can’t stop. He has to keep moving. He must fight. He must live.

 

 _My name is Riku, and I bear the burden of being Xehanort’s apprentice_ he begrudgingly puts on repeat with every swing, every screech, every minute, every whisper.

 

—

 

It breaks.

 

His Keyblade breaks.

 

_ours ours ours LIGHT LIGHT mine mine heart heart ours ligHT inE bOYd_

 

he can’t hear much over the roaring darkness.

 

—

 

 _He opens his eyes, and there’s a keyhole in front of him. It’s dark, yet radiating such pure light. There are whines for_ more _and_ light _, but he does not indulge in this beauty like these stupid Heartless._

 

_“You took far too long to find, oh precious heart.” The words are laced with joy, and his voice is much darker, distorted._

 

_He blinks, and he chuckles. “The darkness has not claimed you yet, boy?”_

 

 _As he reaches out he blinks again, and_ he wakes up in darkness.

 

Riku - his name is Riku, he’s Xehanort’s apprentice, _he’s the reason_ \- sees the blade that he once wielded is broken. The eye is no longer staring at him like a stalker, but his protection is gone. All that is left is a stump of what he once called a Keyblade.

 

Judging by how the monsters watch him warily, he only has so much time before they sack him.

 

—

 

The things surround themselves around Riku again, and there’s a memory he feels pop up. He doesn’t dwell on it much, but it brings tears. ( _he’s so sorry, he didn’t mean for this to happen, he thought they were all safe._ )

 

They part when he asks them to, and huddle when he needs it. They don’t give much of a conversation, not with all of them with different but similar screeches and bodies.

 

Riku doesn’t want this at all.

 

—

 

He feels a wave of darkness envelop his body and try to overtake him, and he feels himself

 

f

 

a

 

l

 

l

 

i

 

n

 

g

 

—

 

_He once again blinks at his bright surroundings, stopping from his search for this ridiculously loud world’s keyhole, and he looks around him. “I’m actually quite shocked. I could have sworn that I was successful.” He muses, a hand on his chin as he feels a smile form._

 

_Looking at the beings (which are following him and destroying the world in their want for light), he chuckles. “You still don’t know what these things are, boy? How hilarious. I shall humor you, just for my sake._

 

 _“These are Heartless. They come in any form, even human. You and I, we can command them. But there is only room for_ one. _You are_ ** _obsolete_** _._

 

_“Fall to the darkness, and become one with them, you blithering fool!”_

 

Riku wakes up with a scream, and he feels his eyes burn hot. His back aches from pain unknown, and the Heartless - that must be them - blink and look at him. He’s sure they’re worried, but that matters not.

 

“I’m Riku, and I’m Xehanort’s apprentice,” he whimpers as he struggles to get up. He almost faints when he gets up, but he keeps moving. The darkness will heal him like they always do; it’s not like he wants them to, especially with how they scratch and tear at his withering heart. “I’m his apprentice, and I’m the reason the world is ending.”

 

—

 

Riku comes upon an island that looks so suspiciously like his home. Home, which he thought he had long forgotten.

 

But apparently not.

 

It looks so similar to the Destiny Island before the fall, and he feels tears fall freely. He doesn’t bother wiping them off, not when he can briefly enjoy this brief glimpse of why he’s fighting, why he’s returning.

 

The boats are still despite the active waves. The trees stay still despite the harsh winds. The land stays bright and colorful despite the darkened skies.

 

He reaches a cave, a place like the Secret Spot, the one where he hid as a child from everyone. It didn’t hide him from the dark beings, but it was a safe haven nonetheless. Perhaps it was out of fondness for those memories of chipping at rocks to make cheap pictures of his family back on Destiny Island that made him try to make some etching on this same rock. It didn’t exactly go well, with how stiff the rock he was etching on was, but he still saw the basic outline of his family.

 

Mom. Dad. Sis. Cid. Yuffie, Lea, Isa, Leon… Cloud. Zack. Kairi.

 

**Sora.**

 

Riku puts a hand over the cheap etching of his family, feeling the familiar welling of tears come forth. “I’m Riku,” he tells the picture. “And I will come back to rectify the trouble I have caused.”

 

He swears that the world hums back to him appreciatively, almost happy that someone is going to right this wrong done to it. But that’s probably just the gigantic Heartless looming over the spot, wanting to see if its master is okay.

 

—

 

Riku is walking when he suddenly comes upon a human body, which has yet to be touched by darkness.

 

It reminds him of that book his mother once read to him (that one world Ansem went to and fed to the Heartless). There was a human named Moogli (Mowgli), who never knew what a human was because he was surrounded by animals (the darkness) all of his life. Introducing him to a human (no one introduced him to the darkness) was an utter feat, as he had no idea of how to talk to one.

 

Which was why he, Riku, is staring at a scarred woman with long blue hair, body tattered and worn like an abandoned doll. He really wants to poke her, but he doesn’t want to.

 

He’s about to take her with him and see what will happen to her body, now that he finally convinces himself to check the body for any possible supplies, when she groans. He screeches, which leads to the dark beings on him in a second.

 

The woman is up in two, and her Keyblade shines brightly in the darkness. The Heartless hiss and gather around his body further, curling in like a column. He hears her say “Damn!” before rushing in to attack them.

 

Fifty by fifty they fall, but nearly a hundred more take their spot. A thousand more surround him, and he hears the humongous Heartless that has been with him for far too long attempt to squish her.

 

“W-wait!” He shouts and jumps onto the woman. He has to hold onto her tight, which is a pain in the ass with how much she struggles and pulls and nearly gives a few good whacks to his face. “H-h-hold on, let me—“

 

His voice is so raspy, so much from disuse and from the darkness healing him and crawling all over his body. It surprises him, and he fears that he’s too late. But while that doesn’t stop the squirming, it does get her attention to him.

 

“Wha… what…” She stares at him, briefly forgetting he’s in her grasp, before she starts struggling even more.

 

“Wa-wait, hold on —“ She finally gets out and Riku lets out a brief curse -

 

“ _Mend!_ ” She yells out, and he has to hide his eyes from the bright light that envelops his sight.

 

When he looks, he sees that nothing has changed. The woman is still there, the Heartless are just whispers now, and

 

she’s red and looking away.

 

He tilts his head in confusion, and the woman huffs a little before bringing her head towards him. She still isn’t looking at him, but she fortunately provides noise to this bleak and silent place. “Y-you were… you were…” He must have a weird look on his face, because she lets out a long sigh. “I-it’s nothing…”

 

And then they’re just standing there. Neither are moving away from the other. Riku would like to talk to her, but this feeling…

 

Then it clicks when he feels _pants._ Fucking _pants_.

 

He doesn’t remember shame (Riku will blush so red he’s practically radiating heat later on and regret this day to the nth degree) so much as the feeling of having clothes. Clothes that feel _nice_ and _protective_. It probably says a lot if he’s grateful for goddamn pants.

 

“Thank… you?” Riku doesn’t know what to make out of this situation, but whatever keeps the Heartless away from this woman is fine with him.

 

The other looks at him for a few more quite seconds before sighing. “I… you’re welcome.” She finally looks at him properly, worry written clearly on her scarred face. “What’s a boy like you doing down in the Realm of Darkness?”

 

Oh, so that’s where he is. He forgot. “Oh.” He says dumbly. “I. Uh. Fell.”

 

 _Fell_ was the underestimation of the century. But he wouldn’t tell her why. Not when she was laughing at the stumbling of his sentence. (It’s worth it, if she’s laughing; better than that stiffness from the beginning.)

 

—

 

The woman introduces herself as Aqua (he knew that already. or did he?) and they continue walking. She’s still hesitant, what with the beings that have been following her since she came now acting like dogs, but it improves over time. At no point in time does she ask him why he’s here, how he’s even alive, or why there are dark tendrils that move when she touches them.

 

Aqua is something Riku never stops being grateful for.

 

Though their respite ends the moment more Heartless enter the fray. Taking out her Keyblade agitates the surrounding Heartless - and the tendrils _burn_ again and Riku feels searing pain all around him - and they fall onto the two of them. He tries to attack them with his broken blade, though it makes them stutter and dissipate briefly before reforming. Magic is out of question when a small Fire explodes in his face, doing him more harm and hampering Aqua in her attacks.

 

They finally, _finally_ get some rest once they stop by a destroyed building.

 

“ _Curaga_ ,” she whispers as a warm, muffled light envelops the two of them. Once it disappears, she asks him, “How are you doing, Riku?”

 

It takes a while for him to respond, since he all but fell on his face into the hardwood flooring. “‘m fineh.” He hopes she heard that, though judging by the small giggle she probably did.

 

They take that small break with glee, and Aqua spends time taking some of the splinters out before Riku goes out like a light.

 

—

 

“What brought you here?” Riku asks one break in who knows how long.

 

Riku has found a mother in Aqua - he now understands what Sora (i’m so sorry) meant when he talked about her - as well as a companion. She helps him sleep, usually has him leaning on her back or shoulder when she keeps an eye out for the dark monsters. Sometimes she’ll heal if she can muster a bit out, or she’ll go out hunting for potions or ethers. In return, Riku forces every bit of himself to repel them away from her whenever he can go with her; it makes the hunting difficult, given his pathetic abilities, but he wants her to live. (a light? for himself? it’s been so long…)

 

So he asks her. He wants to know how she ended up here, sort of bond a little more. It’s not out of guilt that has him asking, but of curiosity.

 

He regrets it the moment it leaves his mouth - he only said he “fell” like a damn fool - since her face scrunches up in pain. “X- a man, he took control of a friend of mine… I tried to save him.” She looks down, away from him. It helps, doesn’t let her see the shudder at the mention of the letter _x_. “I’m not sure what happened to him.”

 

Riku thinks, wonders _Should I tell her? Or let her think positively_ , but she deserves the truth. “His name wouldn’t be… Terra, correct?”

 

Aqua turns her head so viciously and rapidly Riku hopes he won’t be the Heartless’s new food. “How do you know his name.” It’s a statement; he is to answer now, or risk his only companion.

 

So he tells her. Tells her of how he was Xehanort’s apprentice - ignores her gasp and soft whisper of “I knew I recognized you from somewhere…” - and how he and Sora became friends. Tells her of how he failed to save Terra twice, scared more for his own life than his friends, and how he lost two in one throw. Cries as he remembers and laments the torture and deaths of Lea and Isa, the scarring of the latter, the screams that came from whatever the hell they were doing to them and whoever else they had in their hands. Lowers his head as he tells her of the Xehanort Radiant Garden knew, and how he threw the world into darkness. “I don’t even know how I’m alive. By all accounts, I should be dead. Xeh- Ansem says so, too.” He adds after he tells her of how that bastard took over his body and later flung him here.

 

Aqua is quiet, arm over his shoulder staying relaxed and warm. He tries to keep quiet, sniffling every now and then, wanting to hear what her decision will be. Riku wants her to push him away, for not being there for her friend and being selfish. But he wants her to stay, understand that he couldn’t do anything unless he wanted his other friends experimented on; he could never do that to Yuffie, Sora, Kairi, _Aerith_ \- Lea and Isa were caught in Xehanort’s anger towards him.

 

He barely hears her crying, her muffled “I’m… I’m so _sorry_ , Riku. I-I didn’t mean to be rude.”

 

Now he turns to her, same vicious turn as she did at Terra’s name. “B-but I hurt so many, didn’t even — BUGH!” He tries to excuse himself of her tears, but a hug abruptly stops him.

 

She looks at him, steely determination and sympathy directed at him, his face. “You were a _child_ , Riku. A _child_.”

 

“I could’ve -“

 

“Stop that, Riku.” Two hands push him down, snug on his shoulders. “You _knew_ of both sides, but you protected what you could. You knew your _limits_ , Riku, and, while I am saddened by Terra’s fate, you did what you could. _What you could_ , Riku. A weaker man would never do what you could, trying to save all parties and throwing himself to the wolves. Remember that you are stronger than what you think, and if anyone questions your strength, then think back on my words.

 

“I’m proud of you, Riku, and if there was ever a thing I wish I could change, it would be that you were with us instead of _Xehanort_.”

 

Riku tries to suppress the growing happiness within him, but it’s such a pathetic attempt because he _howls_ out his pain, his grief, his wish for help now granted. He barely remembers thanking Sora for his help.

 

—

 

“Thank you, Aqua.” Riku whispers to Aqua, sleepiness hanging heavy over his eyes as he leans on her pointy shoulder.

 

He hears a breathy chuckle, doesn’t think twice that she might be smiling at him. “You’re welcome, Riku.”

 

—

 

Riku and Aqua are on the move for the nth time when it happens again. Neither are prepared for it, and it almost takes Riku down into the darkness.

 

 _He’s speaking to Maleficent, telling her of how powerful the Heartless can be if they are left to the worlds. “But,” he says smugly, “it’ll be much better, faster,_ efficient _, if you have more to work with you.”_

 

 _“More?” She scoffs at him. “You say this, but they shall break away the moment I open Kingdom Hearts! What, should I offer them a piece when it should be just_ mine _?”_

 

_Quite the fool she is. He sighs as he watches her small tantrum play. “You say you are a powerful being of darkness, and yet here you are, chattering and teeth baring at the idea of partnerships. Are you to say that you are weaker than them?”_

 

_“Excuse_ **_me?!_ ** _”_

 

 _“So why not kill them when you have no more use? They’ll be better for your kingdom of darkness as Heartless rather than dead.” He keeps going; he doesn’t want to hear this woman drone on about how she is too great for_ “treaties” _or whatever her kind calls them._

 

 _The witch stares at him, then angrily frowns. “Fine. I shall look for_ help _,” she spits at him, and he swears he can see fire, if only briefly. “Though… the prospect of Heartless seems…_ fascinating _, to say the least. Now off with you! I have things to plan and people to see.”_

 

 _He huffs at her shooing, and he just smirks as he leaves the room in one of the corridors. The moment he steps into the library he drops it, addressing to the foreign being within him. “You are not dead? Even after all these years in darkness?” A dark chuckle is let out before he stops it abruptly. “Fine. I do not know where you have this_ ** _confidence_** _that you can stop_ ** _us_** _, but I will see that you are_ ** _crushed_** **_by the darkness_** _!_

 

_“_ **_Fall into the embrace of darkness, boy_ ** _!”_

 

“Riku!”

 

Riku holds onto the arm thrown out for him in the waves of Heartless that surround him, trying to engulf what’s left of him. (What even is?) It’s a struggle, seeing as it’s one arm against hundreds of these things and he has no idea of what his surroundings are, but they manage and he all but hurls himself towards the opening.

 

They fall back, and Aqua tries to stop the incoming rush of Heartless that’s trying to bring Riku back to them. Riku stares as something bright flashes at her Keyblade’s end, and then _chains_ come out and latch onto the things. It holds - “What the fuck,” he whispers too softly for either of them to really hear - and it gives them enough time to find some cover.

 

They run off the moment the darkness can’t find them.

 

“What was that?” Aqua looks bewildered as she casts a small Fira in front of them. It’s a useless thing to do, as they have long since adjusted to this cold place, but somehow the two find comfort in it.

 

 _Shit_ he thinks as he remembers that he never did get to telling her that part. “Sorry, forgot to tell you that.” He puts up placating hands as Aqua gives him her ‘Oh really?’ face. “In my defense, I kinda forgot since I was really emotional.”

 

She rolls her eyes, but she nudges him to continue. “I’m… not sure, but I think my connection to Ansem… let’s me see what’s going on? It’s brief, probably a few minutes, and we both know I’m there, though clearly the asshole has enough of a hold on my body to stop me from getting him out. He can talk to me, but I haven’t tried to talk to him.” He tries to hint that he hasn’t because he’s too shocked to get back on track.

 

Aqua lets out a hum of acknowledgement before suggesting, “Perhaps you can try to do the same to him?”

 

He scoffs at her, but quickly apologizes (he does _not_ want to be hit, thank you very much). “I think that’d be a good target on my back for him to knock me off me feet. Probably forever. And… what if I get lost? I…” The more he thinks about it, the more terrible possibilities pop up. “I don’t think I could handle it if he could suddenly control me from up there.”

 

They both shudder at the idea. So the idea is shelved for now, but it doesn’t leave his thoughts. Because right now he’s weak; Ansem would probably be able to swipe his remaining light in an instance. But… to be able to kick the monster off his feet, even if just a brief moment…

 

He grins at the image of seeing Xehanort’s face contort in anger at the fact that his ‘apprentice’ ruined something for him.

 

—

 

“Aqua… I…” Riku feels an eye twitch as he feels the other’s hands in his hair. “Aqua, I know that I _fuuuuck_ that feels so good - wait, shi _III -_ FUCK!”

 

“Shush! If I want to get this right, I have to do this! I don’t have a brush, but if you think I wouldn’t stop for a moment to get these tangles out you’d be dead wrong.” Aqua takes one hand out to whack his shoulder. “Stop flinching! You’re going to make it worse. I swear, you’re worse than Sora, what with his crazy hair.”

 

“Yeah, but the - OUCH! The difference is that mine is actually _long_ and I KUH.” It’s hard for Riku to focus because she alternates from soft and nice to rude and abrupt. “Can you _knot_?”

 

They stay silent before Riku bursts into embarrassment, slow to realizing his joke before Aqua starts laughing. “No, I- I was just - no, stop, it was an accident - AQUA JUST CONTINUE THE DAMN BRAID, OKAY?!”

 

She just keeps laughing as she tries (pathetically) to keep on track with the braid, and Riku grunts at her when he sees a terrible mess of an attempt on his shoulder. “Aerith could do better than you…” He grumbles as he tears at it, leaving Aqua to “aww” at its demise.

 

It doesn’t stop her from doing it again, though doing a much better job that before.

 

—

 

It’s the one billionth fight they’ve had in this damn place when the Keyblade changes abruptly.

 

“On your three!” Aqua smashes one of the tiny Heartless according to his word, and in return he blasts a Heartless coming for her back. (Thank god he can use his hands for Magic.)

 

“Don’t forget your six!” The Keyblade goes rushing past his head, but the moment he hears the thud of it Riku grabs it and whacks at the charging fat Heartless’s head. “Riku, back to me!”

 

The two of them are back to back now, facing the swarm that’s now dwindling, panting as they wait for another break. He hands it back to her as the Heartless wait, walking and swirling around them as they wait for their own opening.

 

The battle starts again the moment one of the small dark ones try swiping at Aqua, and Riku releases a Thundaga as Aqua jumps into the fray. He winces as one of the humanoid shadows swipes at his arm, but a good Fire to its midsection pushes it back. Once again he dodges a Sonic Raid, and in return he Fires at the hoard of monsters inching towards him.

 

It’s not much, as they suddenly tower over him like dishes threatening to fall (blame Ansem on that, he almost fell into a sink like an idiot).

 

He briefly hears Aqua shout his name out as it falls on top of him.

 

 _it’s a haze, whispers and screeches of_ light _echoing like a chamber. he ignores them like he always does, but there’s something different this time compared to before._

 

_he’s not… drowning. something in him is sick of this, sick of depending on her to drag him out. sick of being thrown into the fray and relying on magic only, a broken blade to assist them. he does not want to be weak._

 

 _he wants to come out of this_ alive _. they will survive, like they always do. they will, and they will see the sky again._

 

 _he_ will _see them again, and damn those who’ll try to stop him. he will live, and he will come back to his friends!_

 

Good choice.

 

“AHHHHHHH!” Riku finds himself awake and striking at something, a scream in his throat as he opens his eyes. He almost screams louder at the hundreds of eyes boring into him, but anger and survival bring him back from the fear as he just. Continues to chop and attack and throw spells out.

 

Amidst the flight, he feels a hand on his shoulder, firm but grounding. “That’s enough, Riku!” He hears her shout, and he just drops unceremoniously onto the ground.

 

It’s… completely empty. The blank battleground where they stood is empty, and any remaining Heartless are scurrying away.

 

He also realizes that he’s absolutely tired, and his body is aching. “Wh… what happened?” Riku manages to say over the relaxing Cure Aqua lays onto his burning body. He winces at how raspy his voice sounds. “It’s… like something lit in me… I…”

 

Aqua looks at him, happiness in her eyes. “I won’t say for sure what happened while you were in there - they sure as hell kept me away from you - but…” She lets out a sigh of relief. “Since when did you have another Keyblade on you?”

 

He blinks. “Wha…” _Keyblade another blade since when Keyblade_ —

 

“WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?”

 

—

 

When he calms down (and manages not to get them into another battle) and hears what Aqua has seen - a boy flinging himself with a rather dark and weird-looking blade - Riku brings the blade back out, curiosity needing to be satiated.

 

He thinks that it’s the trick of the light that she saw No Name darker than its natural color. He awaits to see the blue eye at its end, staring at him with Xehanort’s darkness awaiting the other side. He knows that the weird design is still there, waiting to taunt him with his role.

 

“What the fuck.” Riku whispers softly as they look at this _thing_.

 

Oh, the eye is there alright, but it’s _nothing_ like the whitish grey of No Name. Its hilt is layered, braided leather, smooth and tight. The blade is like a bat’s wing, blood red on the inside and a purple-blue on the rim. It looks amazing, so much of a juxtaposition in comparison to his other blade, but he knows it’ll piss the mother fucker off.

 

He promptly smashes the blade to the ground, making sure the eye hits first.

 

Aqua gasps as she throws her hands to her mouth and stands up, thrown back by this outburst. “Riku! What -“ She is bewildered, and Riku sort of is too. “What in all of this Realm were you _doing_?!”

 

“The eye. It unnerved me.” He says, voice blank of emotion of the _turmoil_ growing within him. He gives a grunt of approval when he sees the shattered remains of what was an eye. Might’ve not done everything that he wanted, but at least there wasn’t anything to keep an _eye_ on him (kill him with his stupid puns).

 

“… I don’t think you know what the word _unnerved_ means, Riku.” Aqua raises an eyebrow at him, and he just shrugs at it.

 

—

 

It’s a blessing to the two of them that Riku has a blade of his own, because now Riku no longer plays the damsel in distress. He’s no longer the magician, but rather the swordgician. If that’s a term (he’s coining it if it’s not).

 

The only problem is that he has to _adjust_ to using a blade. Adjust. When he trained for nearly a year or so with one.

 

“You’re going to break your arms like that,” Aqua smiles at him, though it almost disappears when he throws his blade at her. “Hey! Save your anger for the darkness, not me!”

 

He grumbles under his breath as he brings back his blade, practicing his stances. He joins her in the sighing over his now-sloppy stances, and he hates how he laments his lack of practice. “Wasn’t my fault I decided to dunk a child into the damn darkness to see what the ruckus was down here…”

 

It gets better with time - “Don’t you ask me —“ “What time is it, Riku?” “It’s a fucking concept we created so that way we didn’t go insane. Which I hope I am _now_ so that way I don’t have to hear you ask me that again.” “What time is it?” “DAMNIT AQUA —“ - and soon he’s finding that it’s getting to where it was before. Magic no longer explodes in front of him, but it does fail on him at times when it comes to Cure and its descendants (probably because he never practiced it in his life).

 

It fuels that long-broken confidence in him, that confidence that he thought he’d never have again. It feels like he’s returning to what he should’ve been, before Xehanort destroyed his life time and time again. “Kiss my ass, asshole,” he whispers as for the first time he can take vigilance over his companion, shuddering when Aqua falls onto him. “Please don’t wake up….”

 

—

 

Two becomes three, and it isn’t exactly fun when the third comes in.

 

Their third companion comes in the form of Mickey Mouse, who’s been looking for them. He’s seen how the worlds are being destroyed and lost to darkness - at an alarming rate - and neither he nor his Master (he hopes never to see for his own sake) have found a proper way to address the person who’s been at this.

 

Which is him, and all of this is told after Mickey nearly beats him up and shouts at him to get away from Aqua.

 

Riku doesn’t blame the King - _Holy shit I am in the presence of a king an actual_ king _damnit and hoooooly fuck I almost died_ \- for his reaction, since his body is literally in the hands of someone they both hate (Xehanort) and care for (Terra). But did he _have_ to ask questions _after_ he almost died? Because that shit hurts, especially when he’s slowly darkening by the darkness.

 

… Okay, maybe Mickey is in the right there.

 

“I’m sorry, Riku!” The king bows before him, and Riku is surprised and a little disgruntled by the display. “I should’ve talked it out before I attacked you, but…”

 

“It’s… okay?” The two Masters look at him funny, and he stares back at them. “What? I mean, I’m annoyed? But he’s right, too. What if I was him?”

 

The King wastes no time in answering their questions once the apologies are put aside. How he became king, when did he become a Master, what he was up to beforehand, how long it’s been since they’ve been down here. For Aqua, it’s a shock; for Riku, he’s surprised at how little Ansem has done.

 

But the King has his own share of questions that they answer with varying success. What they’ve been doing, how they met, if they’ve seen anyone else down here, and if they need a little help. Riku is a little scared by Aqua’s story - he completely forgot to ask her her story of the Realm of Darkness, and he feels for her - but he doesn’t tell her any pitying words. He also doesn’t trust a word that’ll come out of his mouth, since he grew up with assholes around him.

 

Despite the depressive nature of the questions and answers, Riku enjoys this more. He’s sure Aqua does, because “the more the merrier, right?”

 

 _It really shows how lonely we are when I start quoting him, does it._ He tries to avert his eyes when the two look at his short-lived glare at the King. _I hope he doesn’t rub off on me_.

 

—

 

Riku catches himself nearly speaking in a similar upbeat tone as the King. The mouse doesn’t notice, seeing as he’s more focused on their path and what was ahead, but Aqua teases him mercilessly.

 

“The moment the King is gone I will _end_ you,” he growls when Aqua smiles at him innocently. “He will never find your body.”

 

“That’s if you catch me.” A wink is thrown back at him, and she tells the King, who’s looking back at them like he’s missing something, “Don’t worry about us, Your Majesty. Riku thinks he saw something on my head.”

 

“Yeah, a big fat liar,” he angrily mumbles, and he thinks he’s quiet enough for Aqua not to hear him.

 

That’s quickly proven wrong when she promptly whacks his head harshly when the King returns his attention to the path ahead of them.

 

—

 

Riku is quite confused by the bright light in front of them. He’s never seen this kind of light _anywhere_ in this place before. He’s sure that if he stares at it anymore he’s going to blind himself.

 

He’s equally worried by their want to go forward. “Uh, guys? I-I mean, Masters?” He wants to punch Aqua, given that she looks like she’s close to giggling. “Stop it. Look, I’m just asking to see that maybe we’re making the right choice?”

 

The two look at each other, and Mickey turns back to him. “I’m sure of it. If you want,” the King gives him a sly look he _knows_ he took from Aqua, “we can always -“

 

 _Fuck you both, I fucking hate you both_ he wants to say but instead “Fat chance. I’ll go first” pops out. Riku has ears, damnit, and he’s still not happy about this.

 

He regrets saying it the moment he steps through the light.

 

“This is…” He can feel tears threatening to fall, can remember the place that smells like home but looks _nothing_ like it.

 

He hears the other two softly gasp as they enter, but he doesn’t turn to them. Instead he soaks in what Destiny Island has been turned into, and bites his lip in order to stop his emotions from running free.

 

The moment he gets his hands on Xehanort is the day the old bastard will _regret_ ever touching his world.

 

“So many worlds have been lost,” he hears the King say. “And now they’re trapped here in the dark.”

 

He feels someone touch his arm. “Is everything okay, Riku?” Turning around shows him a worried Aqua. “You look… exhausted.”

 

He laughs at that. He doesn’t think the hysterical note is left unnoticed. “Exhausted? More like angry, if you ask me.” Blood. He can taste blood. Oops. “This…. this is Destiny Island.”

 

“Destiny Island? I… I think I’ve heard of this…” Aqua looks mystified as she turns around, looking at this disgusting mess of a world.

 

Riku looks at her solemnly, then looks back at the water. He stops himself from biting harder on his lip. “Yeah. We’re - me, Sora, we’re both from here.”

 

Aqua and Mickey snaps their heads at him, and he has to not flinch at their stares. “Then… why is it here?” Mickey questions him, a confused tilt on his head.

 

He really doesn’t want to do 20 Questions here. “Xehanort. Literally everything that happened to me up to now is either because of him or Sora.” Riku wants to bite his lip again, but he’s probably going to hurt it more than anything. “Let’s just get going.”

 

Thankfully they don’t push it. He’s just not ready yet. (Or ever. He never wanted this to happen.)

 

They go back to where the door is, seeing as the King has a better idea of where that ‘keyblade of darkness’ might be at, but something is there. Riku puts his arms in front of them, saying “shh!” as he strains to hear what’s over there.

 

_noooo…. baaaaackkkk…. lux….. noooooo….. darrrrrrkkkkkkhhhh…. NO_

 

**_NO NO NO NO NO NO OURS OURS OURS BACK BACK BACK OURS NO ONE YOUR HEARTS OURS LIGHT LIGHT LUX KINGDOM HEARTS_ **

 

Riku takes a step back, a little horrified by the whispers and also hoping the other two get the memo. Which he hopes so because a writhing _swarm_ of Heartless - Shadows, if the King is right, but that does _not_ look like just _Shadows_ \- comes barreling after them.

 

They hop out of the way, each in a different direction, and Riku feels like crying just out of sheer joy he didn’t die right there and then. Or that he’s not being pulled back into darkness.

 

If he had time to fist pump for not doing the above, he’d be doing that right now. But for now, they have to fight. And he’ll gladly do so if it means he can see his friends again.

 

—

 

The wielders don’t stop moving once they finish the fight, and Riku groans as he forces himself to follow them. Sometimes he wishes he wasn’t with them so he didn’t have to worry about the darkness taking them.

 

He hopes Mickey is right about his guess, though. (He’s close to tearing out his hair because _good GOD there’s so much darkness why is he going that way he’s going to die Your Majesty please!_ )

 

The moment they open the door… nothing happens. Riku scoffs internally at himself for worrying over nothing, but he can’t get rid of the feeling that something is in there. Well, he probably can’t see since Aqua is _blocking his view_ , but he won’t say anything.

 

There’s a gasp, and Mickey says “There!” before they start walking in. _Walking._ In the _Realm of Darkness_.

 

It’s not until he joins them does he realize what they’re looking at.

 

“Woah…” he sighs as he looks at this really fucking bright Keyblade which radiates light like no one’s business. “This is it?”

 

“Yep.” The King walks over to it, and Riku almost wants to drag the idiot back towards them. But he’s a Master and _supposedly_ he knows what to do, and he can defend himself if something goes wrong. Hopefully. “This is it. The keyblade of darkness.”

 

He grabs the blade, and finally the light around it dims. Riku is grateful it knows when to stop glowing like the brightest flashlight in the world. “‘The door of darkness… tied by two keys.’” The King starts reciting, and now Riku is a little worried by this. He really hopes this isn’t where Xehanort comes in to fuck it all up. “‘The door of darkness… to seal the light.’ This is it, alright!”

 

“Wait, you said two keys. Who has the other? You know, the light one?” Something seemed wrong there, and he _has_ to know who has that one. Because there’s no way it’s going to go off without a hitch if all three of them have the Keyblades there, and Sora could sincerely not —

 

“Sora does!” Riku feels his face fall, fear radiating off of himself. Because there is _no way_ that boy should have one, no god-fucking reason the worlds should’ve given him one. “I keep tellin’ ya, Riku, don’t worry! He’ll be fine. He has help.”

 

It still doesn’t keep him from thinking of what Xehanort might’ve done to the kid.

 

Unfortunately none of them have any time to discuss anything, because a _huge_ burst of light envelops the three of them. They have no time to grab each other to stay together, and Riku cannot stop himself from shouting “No!”

 

The last thought he has is _Not again!_

 

—

 

_he can’t hear anything, other than his breathing getting shorter and shorter, can’t hear or see or feel or smell. there’s nothing that should’ve hit him, where is he going going going_

 

_g_

___ o_

___ i_

___ n_

___ g_

 

_“The Keyhole is now complete. You have served your purpose.”_

 

_What?_

 

_“But now it’s over.”_

 

 _There’s a duck, a dog, and… and_ Kairi. _Kairi, who’s_ alive. _He can’t see Sora, and there’s a disgusting rainbow heart-shaped thing next to him._

 

_He takes a step to the group, and the duck cries out, “Don’t make another move!”_

 

_He hears the dog whisper to the duck, asking if they could possibly win. The duck doesn’t know._

 

 _But it clicks. He gets it._ Riku _gets it. He remembers back to when Aqua asked him if he could do the reverse, try pushing the man out and control_ his _body for a sec._

 

 _Fuck everything, because those are Sora’s friends - Kairi is_ his, _one of_ his _\- and he will_ not _. Let. Xehanort get away with_ ** _this!_**

 

“ _Impossible…” He feels_ everything. He’s not in the Realm of Darkness anymore. He’s _here._

 

“No! You won’t use me for this!” He puts his hands up in front of Ansem - or is he in the body? Okay no, now is _not_ the time for that - and he’s running off of sheer will power and shock that this is actually working. _Working_. Won’t this be something to share back with them.

 

 _“Riku!”_ _He hears Kairi call out to him, but he can’t stop now._

 

“You’ve got to run! The Heartless - they’re coming!” Because wherever Ansem and hearts are at, Heartless are soon to follow.

 

 _And sure enough, Shadows come popping out from no where. They already surround them, and he knows that if they don’t move_ now _, they’ll die._

 

For Sora, he will stall for them. Or hopefully regain his body.

 

 _But they seem to get the memo, because the group starts rushing out of the little plateau, away from the darkness. He lets a little huff of a chuckle -_ God this hurts a lot - _as he hears the duck screech on his way out._

 

_“You…_ **_You!_ ** _” Oh shit. “How are you even alive?!”_

 

Riku is maybe regretting his a bit, because now he’s face to _face_ with Ansem and yeaaah that is _not_ his body. _“You insolent fool! Do you_ think _for a_ moment _that I will let you get away with this? That_ ** _he_** _will?_

 

 _“Fall to the darkness, and_ never _return!”_

 

_Ansem reach out to his face, anger in his eyes and fear and pure darkness and_

 

Sora?

 

“HOLY FUCKING HEARTS!” Riku feels his head rush forward with a gasp, and something _whacks_ his head. Really hard.

 

Now two people are groaning in pain, and Riku really wonders why he hasn’t gotten himself killed, what with all the times he’s smacked his head against another’s.

 

“Curaga!” A female voice shouts out the spell, and Riku feels the warmth of it. He also feels less disoriented.

 

He can now feel two sets of hands on him and looking up shows him two worried sets of faces. “Are you okay?!” They shout at him, and Mickey is apologizing for going too fast while Aqua is checking him for anything.

 

He lets them at it for a bit - he’ll say he was disoriented, they don’t _have_ to know the reason - before he puts up a placating hand. “’m fine, ‘m fine.” He feels a smile, a warm, genuine smile, grace his face, and he turns to Aqua. “I did it. I did it Aqua! I just - I stopped him for, like, a few minutes. I didn’t have my body, but I did it! Just like you said!”

 

Aqua blinks, then hugs him so hard he feels he’s going to burst. “That’s amazing, Riku! I knew you could do it!” The wielder squeezes him a little harder, and Riku has to tap her shoulder.

 

When he’s lowered, he looks around him.

 

This is _not_ like what he’s seen before. Where there was darkness and crystalline structures with various worlds surrounding them are now replaced with this… weird thing in the middle. There’s a faint but bright light behind the structure. But behind them is-

 

“Is that…?” He nods over to the _ginormous_ white pair of doors in front of them, and he hears Mickey “ahuh” to his question. “We’re… we’re going to close _those_ doors?” Another “ahuh”, though even Mickey doesn’t seem so sure.

 

Well shit. They’re strong and all, but there’s no way he could _possibly_ do this by himself.

 

They don’t have much time, because the _damn Heartless train_ is back. But it’s heading to the doors and _no way_ is he letting that thing go.

 

So he ignores everyone and starts bursting towards the door. Kingdom Hearts kill him he will _not_ let anymore Heartless through!

 

—

 

He sees the door close, and he smiles to himself. _They’re safe. There’s nothing here that can hurt them again._

 

 _It’s done_.

 

And he feels himself drifting off into the darkness.

**Author's Note:**

> I think, back when I wrote this, I partially started crying. Or just was hurt emotionally, because wow this was almost a year, maybe 1.5+ yrs ago. This is utterly fantastic (from that point) and I feel like this AU is unknowingly making me write relationships I didn't think could work/hadn't found/read. (As well as writing in relationships/possible love interests (not shown here) that I didn't think I could write because I've never been one to write them; angst is more powerful.) I think it's weird that I say I can't write humor, and while I look back and wonder if it's forced, it feels right. Probably because it's two characters who get more than "Five lines of dialogue to note that we know you blah blah blah" and I think I've started to grow onto the idea of "It's my AU, I have control. I don't need to lean on canon so much anymore."
> 
> Which is true, as I've grown to see with my struggling first attempt with Chapter 1 of this AU, which I am probably 100% sure I didn't do Lulu right and Sephiroth was a kind bastard while Zack, you stupid shit, is still a good boi. Then again I'm not going to sit down and watch the 20th video of *insert FF character* as a character analysis video because I don't have the time nor do I care too much. (Besides, canon will hit eventually.)
> 
> Anyways, thank you for reading this story! I realize after posting this that unless you read The Voice you wouldn't quite understand what happened with Riku but at the same time ya can if ya say fuck canon here's new, but still sorry on my behalf.


End file.
